Stories by Tom Jacobs

Tom Jacobs is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years experience at daily newspapers. He has served as a staff writer for the Los Angeles Daily News and the Santa Barbara News-Press. His work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Ventura County Star. subscribe to Tom Jacobs's feed

Even Atheists Fear the Word 'God', Study Suggests

Posted on: Apr 29, 2013, Source: Pacific Standard

Research suggests that even for committed non-believers, it’s difficult to totally erase the powerful idea of God from one’s psyche.

Only a Few Weeks of Mindfulness Training Boosts Test Scores for Memory and Reading Comprehension

Posted on: Apr 2, 2013, Source: Pacific Standard

New research finds that mindfulness training leads to improved scores in tests of reading comprehension and working memory.

Experiment Shows How Facebook Can Spread Racist Thoughts

Posted on: Apr 1, 2013, Source: Pacific Standard

Heavy Facebook users are more likely than those who log on occasionally to react positively to racist remarks.

Study: Recent Elections Show a Strong Link Between Racism and Political Preference

Posted on: Jan 23, 2013, Source: Pacific Standard

A Brown University political scientist has tracked the rise of a renewed alignment between political preference and “old-fashioned racism.”

Why ‘Slut' Label Refuses to Die

Posted on: Dec 12, 2012, Source: Pacific Standard

How sexual stigma impacts both women and men.

The Weird Things Money Does to People

Posted on: Sep 19, 2012, Source: Pacific Standard

Newly published research shows money makes a person less able to relate to the feelings of others.

In Aurora, Expect PTSD to Spread Far Beyond the Movie Theater

Posted on: Jul 23, 2012, Source: Pacific Standard

Two studies of Virginia Tech students suggest a high likelihood of stress-related psychological symptoms following a mass shooting.

What Happens When Atheists Confront Mortality

Posted on: Jul 11, 2012, Source: Pacific Standard

Two sets of researchers ask whether nonbelievers turn toward God after contemplating death.

Does Eating Organic Food Make You Selfish?

Posted on: May 22, 2012, Source: Pacific Standard

Do you want to be a better person? First, get stressed out. And whatever you do, don’t go near organic food.

Was Sarah Palin's Image Hurt By Tina Fey? You Betcha!

Posted on: Mar 20, 2012, Source: Miller-McCune.com

New research suggests exposure to Tina Fey's impersonation of Sarah Palin in 2008 lowered voters' opinion of the candidate.

Why Are People Still Afraid of Atheism?

Posted on: Nov 23, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune.com

Plenty of people are reviled for their religious beliefs. But a lack of faith seems to inspire even more intense antipathy.

How Television Can Make You Believe Things That Aren't True

Posted on: Oct 12, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune.com

Newly published research suggests nuggets of misinformation embedded in a fictional television program can seep into our brains and lodge there as perceived facts.

Musicians Hear Better Into Old Age

Posted on: Sep 15, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune.com

Canadian researchers find playing a musical instrument delays the onset of age-related hearing decline.

A Legacy of 9/11: Years of Increased Illness

Posted on: Sep 9, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune.com

A large-scale study suggests 9/11-related stress led to a major increase in health problems across the U.S.

Male Happiness on the Decline? Men Less Satisfied, Less Confident Than Ever

Posted on: Jul 18, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune Magazine

A widely read 2009 study described a decline in self-reported well-being among American women. Newly published research finds this trend is also true for men.

The Simple Trick That Can Bolster Willpower At the Supermarket

Posted on: Jul 12, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune.com

New research finds grocery shoppers who carry baskets are more likely to purchase unhealthy food than those pushing a cart.

Why Men in Southern States Are More Likely to Die in Accidents

Posted on: Jun 17, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune.com

A new study shows how a macho conception of white masculinity leads to risky behavior among white males in Southern states.

Why Don't White Audiences Go See Black Movies?

Posted on: May 10, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune.com

New research suggests white audiences tend to stay away from movies featuring minorities due to the assumption that the film “wasn’t made for me.”

One Surprising Reason People May Believe Bizarre Conspiracy Theories

Posted on: Apr 25, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune Magazine

People who see dark conspiracies everywhere are offering some interesting information — about themselves.

Novelist T.C. Boyle on Humankind's Arrogant Attitude Towards Nature

Posted on: Mar 30, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune Magazine

In "When the Killing’s Done," novelist T.C. Boyle once again examines humankind's conflicted attitudes toward the natural world.

Sex and Violence: Is Sex at the Psychological Root of War?

Posted on: Mar 30, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune Magazine

Research from Hong Kong suggests that, among men, the impulses to make love and war are deeply intertwined.

Facebook Linked to Narcissism?

Posted on: Mar 22, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune.com

Instead of falling in love with his own image in a pond, today’s narcissist apparently gazes adoringly at his own Facebook profile.

Women As Likely As Men to Want Casual Sex

Posted on: Mar 6, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune.com

Widely accepted beliefs regarding men, women and short-term sexual encounters may be significantly off-base.

Study: How Our Alarmist TV News Makes People Overly Paranoid About Cancer

Posted on: Feb 7, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune Magazine

A new study shows that people who watched local TV news reports were likely to have a fatalistic attitude about cancer prevention.

Study: Confederate Flag Unleashes Racist Attitudes

Posted on: Jan 21, 2011, Source: Miller-McCune Magazine

White college students exposed to images of a Confederate flag judged a black person more harshly and expressed less willingness to vote for Barack Obama in 2008.

How Fears of Bin Laden Can Lead to Authoritarian Parenting

Posted on: Nov 22, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

A new study finds a strange link between terrorist fearmongering and the impulse for corporal punishment.

Study: Americans Still Puritanical About Sex

Posted on: Nov 7, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

A new study shows that the Puritans' value system may remain lodged deep in our psyches, shaping our emotions, judgments and behaviors.

People Are Allergic to the Facts

Posted on: Oct 7, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

New research finds we trust experts who agree with our own opinions, suggesting that subjective feelings override scientific information.

How Not to Stop Smoking

Posted on: Aug 16, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

New research finds suppressing thoughts of smoking just increases the likelihood you’ll light up later on.

Your Bedroom Isn't That Different Than a Caveman's

Posted on: Aug 9, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

Researchers find evolutionary logic behind the way we lay out our bedrooms.

Do Attractive People Have a Harder Time Getting Hired?

Posted on: Jul 12, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

A new study suggests that attractive people may be at a disadvantage in certain workplace situations: specifically, if they are being evaluated by a member of the same sex.

Study: Women More Interested in Sex as They Get Older

Posted on: Jul 2, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

A new study suggests that 27 to 45-year-old women think more about sex and have more sex than women in other age groups.

Female Politicians Seen as "Power Hungry" Don't Get Votes

Posted on: Jun 10, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

The perception that a politician is hungry for power apparently lessens support for female, but not male, candidates.

Why Celebrity Ads Make You Want to Buy Stuff

Posted on: Jun 7, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

Brain-scan research suggests celebrity faces evoke specific happy memories, and those positive feelings rub off on the products they endorse.

Can't Concentrate? Maybe It's the Fast Food

Posted on: Apr 26, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

How the tendency to grab a quick bite at Burger King could affect other areas of life.

Study Suggests More People Willing to Believe in ESP When Told It's Been Scientifically Disproven

Posted on: Apr 20, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

Newly published research on belief in ESP suggests a public disregard for -- and perhaps even hostility toward -- the scientific consensus.

New Discoveries Suggest That Sexual Objectification Is More Damaging to Women Than You Might Think

Posted on: Apr 9, 2010, Source: Miller-McCune.com

New research suggests sexual objectification hinders some women’s cognitive ability.

This Is Your Brain on Kafka

Posted on: Dec 22, 2009, Source: Miller-McCune.com

Does absurdist literature make you smarter? Giraffe carpet cleaner, it does!

Forty Years After Its First Episode, Sesame Street Is Still Saving the World

Posted on: Nov 19, 2009, Source: Miller-McCune.com

Thanks to lots of research (and, of course, to Jim Henson's genius), Sesame Street continues to aid in early childhood development.

Does Racism Drive Opposition to Health Reform?

Posted on: Nov 16, 2009, Source: Miller-McCune.com

In a recent study, prejudiced people were more likely to support the health plan when it was linked to Bill Clinton, than when it was linked to Obama.

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